San Diego

Renee Novo accepts the award on behalf of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation.

The San Diego Division is pleased to honor the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) as a recipient of the 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award.

JCNI is located in southeastern San Diego near an intersection referred to as “the four corners of death” due to the levels of gang violence and crime in the area. JCNI partners directly with people who live and work in the community to revitalize the neighborhood. Its mission—resident ownership of neighborhood change—is based on the philosophy that residents must envision, drive, and own change in their community to make that change meaningful and sustainable.

JCNI runs several successful programs under its Start with Safety initiative, including Project Safe Way. Project Safe Way organizes a “safe talk” campaign that encourages local residents to speak directly with police; it also runs a “safe corridors” program that puts volunteers at strategic street corners to establish safe routes for children to walk to and from school. Project Safe Way brings together a variety of organizations and agencies for community-wide safety events, such as the 2012 Youth Safety Fair, to provide community members with valuable crime prevention resources.

JCNI coordinators are leaders from diverse southeastern San Diego communities. Their grassroots efforts include going door to door in the surrounding neighborhoods to share crime prevention information and encourage participation in safety events.

In a ceremony at FBI Headquarters, Director Robert S. Mueller, III recognized the recipients of the 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award. These leaders, selected by their area FBI field office, have demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities through service. The FBI is grateful for the work of each of these individuals and organizations on behalf of their communities.

“Whatever the motivation—an unfilled need, a tragic occurrence, a desire to give back—these are people who make things happen and enlist others in their cause,” said Director Mueller. “They are activists who have earned their prestige through good works.”